Andrew Lutzke
Johnny B. Badd seemingly turned heel again after a few months as a face as he interfered in a Brian Pillman match and joined Richard Morton in attacking Pillman before Brad Armstrong could make the save.
Ron Simmons took on Abdullah The Butcher as a partner after Abby’s falling out with Cactus Jack. This is Abby’s second run as a babyface in the past three years. Why anyone would trust this nut is beyond me.
The future Henry Godwin is getting jobber work under the name Mark Canterbury.
Big Josh teased a heel turn after a tag team match with Van Hammer where Hammer “stole” a pin that Josh was preparing to make.
Sting and Vader battled for the first time one on one in February on the syndicated Worldwide show. It wasn’t built up as a mega match but helped set up Vader’s post PPV feud with the Stinger.
WCW Light Heavyweight champion Jushin Liger added to his budding legacy by beating IWGP Jr. heavyweight champ Norio Honaga to win the IWGP title.
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine debuted the day after Valentine’s Day.
Ron Simmons and Big Josh beat the Young Pistols for the US Tag team titles. Surely proof that the title had outlived its usefulness.
Marty Janetty and Shane Douglas were in discussion to come in as a tag team but Janetty was arrested on charges of possessing cocaine and other drugs.
Mr. Hughes has been suspended for an outside of the ring incident. He will not return for several months.
Rumors are flying around that the Road Warriors will be headed back to WCW soon since their relationship with the WWF has gone severely sour.
WCW head Kip Frey is considering paying bonuses to workers who agree to take part in steroid testing.
Superbrawl February 29th, 1992
Eric Bischoff and Tony Schiavone run down the card and Missy Hyatt is prepping for being the lead interviewer in the back.
The card is STACKED!!!
Jim Ross brings out Jesse Ventura to help call the action with him. Ventura rides a Harley motorcycle to the ring to a big pop. He declares that WCW is in Crusher country. The AWA fanbase that would get that reference aren’t in attendance. Jesse and JR plug the show some more as EVERYONE is excited for this card. Okay, okay, I get it. Lets see some action!
Light Heavyweight Champion Jushin Liger vs. Brian Pillman
They grapple to start. A tit for tat back and forth bit gets a nice pop from the fans. Pillman head scissors Liger to the floor and greets him with a dropkick on the floor. Liger regroups and grounds Pillman before delivering a moonsault and dropkicking Pillman to the floor. Liger flips around the ring and the crowd appreciates his acrobatic exhibition. Liger escapes a abdominal stretch and traps Pillman in a bow and arrow submission. Pillman delivers a nasty back suplex but misses a charge and hurts his knee. Liger pounces and works the injured limb. A figure-four causes the crowd to invoke Ric Flair and shout a few ‘Woos!” Pillman and Liger slap one another back and forth while the hold is still locked in and the Milwaukee crowd loves it. Brian fights to the ropes. A knee bar continues the torture before Pillman can deliver a enziguiri. Liger is headscissored down again but Pillman hobbles toward him and is sent flying to the floor in a heap. Liger scales the top rope and propels down onto him to a raucous response from the legions in the stands. Pillman fights his way back in and delivers a flying clothesline before suplexing Liger to the floor! Pillman makes his way to the top and planchas onto Liger. Liger attempts his own leaping attack back in the squared circle and Pillman catches him with a dropkick. Both men are down and out as the high risk attacks have taken the starch out of both men. Pillman pounds Liger into the mat with a crisp powerslam but Liger responds with a German suplex. A superplex attempt is blocked by Pillman and he tosses Liger to the mat and lands a flying crossbody for a nearfall I totally bought. Liger delivers a powerbomb and tries another but Pillman flips it into another near-fall that I again bought as the finish. Pillman delivers a DDT and a flying forearm. Liger catches Pillman trying a top rope move and suplexes him to the canvas. A diving head butt misses and Pillman rolls him up for the win! A hell of a spot fest! The fans can’t help but give that a standing ovation.
Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. The Taylor Made Man
Taylor’s wearing a total rip-off jacket out of the Million Dollar Man’s closet. A fan is the guest ring announcer and gets booed. That’s harsh. Speaking of harsh, the crowd chants “Rooster! Rooster!” at Taylor. They trade the basics and Taylor gets chippy at the rookie’s chutzpah. They trade fists before Taylor dismissively sends Bagwell to the ramp. Bagwell bounces Taylor back in and goes flying at him with a crossbody. Bagwell out hustles Taylor and the veteran takes a walk to convalesce. Taylor takes things up a notch and rams Bagwell into the steel railing. He then drops him with a jawbreaker and slaps him across the face. Bagwell still won’t stay down so Taylor rakes his face to try and ruin the pretty boy. Taylor delivers a powerbomb and roughs up Bagwell well talking smack the whole way. Taylor downs him with a suplex and delivers a splash but the arrogant cover fails to get the duke. Taylor tries a piledriver and Bagwell back drops him. Taylor is bemused by this and rakes the buff youngsters’ face again to express his distaste for the youthful exuberance. Bagwell snags a roll up out of nowhere for the win. JR and Ventura play it up as a huge upset. Taylor lays him out after anyway. I liked the story the match told but the ending and post-match didn’t exactly put over Bagwell in any kind of significant way. Taylor continues to be in really good matches which is depressing since his career is nearly over by this point.
Ron Simmons vs. Cactus Jack
Jack and Simmons brawl before Jack charges at Simmons and ends up hanging himself between the top and middle ropes. Simmons knocks him to the floor and sends Jack into the railing. Jack cheats to regain control. JYD is randomly sitting in the stands in a tux. He’s been gone for a long time. Jack sends Simmons into the railing and a flying elbow from the second rope all the way to floor finds Simmons’ midsection. Simmons misses a dropkick back in the ring and fights his way out of headlock. Simmons connects with another dropkick but misses a charge and splats on the ramp. Jack chases after him and is spinebustered for his efforts. Jack takes back control because pain is temporary and glory is forever. A second rope maneuver by Foley is turned into a powerslam for the win by Simmons.
Abdullah the Butcher waddles down and turns heel again as he whacks Simmons with his havoc staff. JYD wobbles down from the stands, headbutts security and then clears the ring of the heels with headbutts and punches. The crowd eats this all up and chant “JYD”. If I have to sit through a JYD vs. Abby match… so help me God. Match was fun.
Tom Zenk and Van Hammer vs. Vinnie Vegas and Richard Morton
Ventura uses the Vinnie name as an excuse to take potshots at Vince McMahon. A year later and Nash would find another small blond to rise to stardom with. Zenk’s past as a body builder is brought up and Jesse uses it as an opening to rip on the WBF, which was starting up at this time in WWF-land. Hammer gets the crowd to stomp and clap along with him as Ventura goes on a weird rant about Hammer’s ring gear, which is no more garish than the usual wrestler. Hammer and Nash face off and somehow the vortex of suck created from this meeting does not cause the ring to collapse upon itself. They try and wrestle and its bowling shoe ugly. Zenk and Morton tag in to salvage this Morton is sent over the top ropes with vicious clothesline. Zenk planchas down onto him and hip tosses Morton onto the cement. Since things were getting good, the slugs both tag back in. The crowd is way into the Hammer stomp/clap yet but quiet down once Nash boots him in the face. Zenk struggles to figure out the rhythm of the Hammer rally cry. Nash delivers an awkward suplex to Hammer and more shitty wrestling follows before the smaller guys tag back in and Zenk quickly gets a roll up win. Not quite bad enough to be perversely entertaining.
Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham vs. Larry Zybysko and Steve Austin
All four men brawl to start because they HATE each other. Zybysko gets blasted with a beautiful punch on the ramp and collapses to his back. Rhodes and Windham take turns abusing Austin before Windham decides that he wants to get his hands on the man who smashed his hand. Zybysko gets a cheap shot but Windham overcomes that fast as they fight on the ramp and in the ring. Windham and Rhodes take turns working over Zybysko’s arm in an attempt to maim “The Cruncher”. Windham tries a piledriver but Austin sneaks in for a cheapshot. Windham takes an undesired ride over the top rope and is battered on the cement by Zybysko. Austin controls Windham in the ring, causing Windham to attempt a desperation flying lariat. That misses and Windham flies to the cement floor once again. The heels continue their lengthy battering of Windham as JR and Ventura trade barbs over NCAA football. Windham finally falls back for a tag off so subtle the crowd doesn’t even pop for it. Rhodes explodes all over Austin before they trade huge clotheslines which allows the heels to take back control. Dustin is clobbered which leads him laying prone on the mat, allowing Madusa to slap him. He pursues her down the ramp and that allows Austin to achieve a sneak attack. Rhodes’ peril continues for several more minutes as the ruffians grind away at the booker’s boy. Windham finally tags in and unleashes his taped fist on both heels faces. Barry attempts a superplex but Zybysko shoves him off. Zybysko scales the rope but Rhodes pushes him off. Windham quickly scales the ropes and delivers a flying lariat for the win. Solid match but felt to me that they never went to the next level.
Ricky Steamboat’s Ninja tries to keep Steamboat’s privacy intact. Madusa comes by and delivers some casual racism. The Ninja is slapped and he gives chase to Madusa. Hokey.
World tag team champions Bobby Eaton and Arn Anderson vs. The Steiner Brothers
Paul E. is ejected to start. Scott out grapples Eaton to start before Eaton has enough of that and just elbows Steiner in the face. Scott belly to belly suplexes him in response. Arn starts to torment Rick as both men tag off. Rick runs in circles and tries to get Anderson to play with him on the ground. Anderson is powerslammed and both baddies are pummeled with fists. As Arn and Scott grapple, JR hints that Terry Gordy and Dr. Death are close to signing with WCW. Rick sneaks in and clotheslines Eaton and Anderson to the floor. Scott takes over from there and drops both men with blows on the cement. Eaton endures a tilt-a-whirl suplex on the ramp and is then roughly tossed back in the ring. The Brothers try and finish with a Doomsday Device but Anderson saves the titles by running in.
Rick is captured by the heels and ground into the mat by Eaton. Anderson tries to ply his devious deeds on Rick but the Dog Faced Gremlin shellacks him with a clothesline. Scott tags in and tackles Arn to the mat. The heels rally however and soon after Scott endures a flying kneedrop from the top rope, via Air Eaton. Anderson wears at Scott, who tries to fight out with a body scissors but the Enforcer turns that into a Boston Crab. Scott is dumped to the ramp and Anderson tosses Eaton onto his ravaged body. Rick finally tags in and puts a licking on both heels. The heels double up on Rick and try and deliver a Doomsday Device of their own, but Rick catches Eaton and delivers a belly-to-belly suplex in mid-air. Anderson eats a bulldog but Madusa hands him a handful of powder which blinds Rick. Steiner unknowingly tosses the ref as Scott delivers a Frankensteiner as a second ref comes in to count the pin. The Steiners celebrate but it’s Dusty Finish time as the first ref wakes up and rules the match as a DQ win for the Dangerous Alliance. Good stuff up until the cliché finish.
US Champion Rick Rude vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Rude tries to do his spiel but the fans drown him out with boos. Steamer and Rude jockey for position before Ricky’s martial arts allow him to take control. An armbar sets up Rude to be dragged to the ring corner, where he finds his arm wrung around the ring post. Steamboat continues the focused attack by chopping away at the arm and shoulder of Rude. Rude’s arm is wrapped around his own back, which is followed by Steamboat slamming Rude’s own body weight onto the arm. After further assault, Rude finally buys himself some time by dropping Steamboat onto the steel railing.
Rude tries to work over the ever resilient Dragon but is hampered by his arm injury. Steamboat survives a piledriver, perhaps only due to Rude’s choice of covering Steamboat in an arrogant manner. Rude connects with a pair of top rope attacks and tries to break The Dragon’s will with a chinlock, but Steamboat fights his way out. Exhaustion has now set in and both men throw bombs in hopes for a fluke KO. The men trade sleeper holds until Rude busts out and attempts a high risk move. Steamer catches him and delivers a superplex. A wobbled Rude is then dropped with a enziguiri that missed it’s intended mark. Steamboat mocks Rude’s swivel then delivers a flying chop. Steamboat goes back towards the top only for his Ninja to produce a cell phone and crack Steamboat in the head with it. Rude snags the very tainted win off of that. Hard fought battle and an entertaining WRESTLING match.
Missy Hyatt is shocked, shocked I say as she uncovers that Paul E was indeed wearing the Ninja outfit.
World Champion Lex Luger vs. Sting
Luger has basically not worked a match in six weeks and is jacked to the gills in preparation for his upcoming WBF career move. JR asks Ventura how Luger packed so much extra muscle on his frame in the past month. I stifle a giggle.
They stare at one another for a long while before scuffling. Luger misses a charge and crashes into the corner. A Stinger splash follows but Luger no sells that and clotheslines Sting. Luger attempts a Torture Rack but Sting reverses that and traps Luger in one of his own! Sting delivers a big DDT and Luger is down and hurt. Harley Race buys Luger time but Sting continues his quest for the quick win and nearly locks on a Scorpion Death Lock. Luger sucks wind in between cheap shots. He delivers a sloppy looking press slam and a piledriver. Sting flings weak shots on wobbly legs. The burst awakens Sting and he begins to enforce his will onto the champion. Sting is knocked to the floor, where Harley Race attempts to piledrive Sting on the concrete – but Sting backdrops him onto the concrete. He quickly springs to the top rope and leaps onto Luger who collapses to the mat and stares at the lights for the three seconds necessary to transfer the gold to WCW’s franchise player.
Final thoughts: One bad match taking up ten minutes of an otherwise fantastic PPV makes this a must watch event!! Good to great matches up and down the card.
